Japan has a long-standing tradition of Campus Miss (ミスキャンパス) contests, often held during university festivals. These pageants can be a major stepping stone for participants to gain public recognition, with those from prestigious institutions like the University of Tokyo, Keio University, Sophia University, and Rikkyo University being particularly well-known.
But hold up! Japan's X (formerly Twitter) recently blew up after a supposed "Miss Kyodai" (Miss Kyoto University) contest quietly crowned a winner. The catch? It turns out Kyoto University had absolutely nothing to do with it. With only two contestants, the winner, Miki Ichijo, quickly found herself at the center of a massive online firestorm, sparking questions about the contest's legitimacy and underlying motives.
This contest was completely unknown to most Kyoto University students. Yet, on February 8, Miki Ichijo, a first-year medical student at Kyoto University, proudly announced on her X account that she had won the "2024 Miss Kyoto University" title. However, according to Kyoto University, the school never authorized any group to use the names "Kyoto University" or "Kyodai." This means the pageant was, in fact, entirely unauthorized.
Adding fuel to the fire, Kyoto University had actually scrapped plans for an official "2024 Miss Kyoto University" event back in October last year. After committee discussions, student groups raised concerns about gender sensitivity, suggesting the name should be revised. Following further debate, the university decided to cancel what would have been its inaugural pageant.
When challenged by netizens, Ichijo reportedly claimed it was a brand-new, independent event, arguing that the university had only canceled the activity planned for the school festival, but the contest could still proceed as a standalone event.
But eagle-eyed netizens quickly pointed out some glaring red flags: the "2024 Miss Kyoto University" contest had a voting period of only two days, and get this – there were only two candidates! The whole thing looked incredibly suspicious. Further investigation revealed the organizing body was a student club calling itself the "Miss Kyodai Office," which apparently received assistance from "MISCOLLE," a platform for university pageant information across Japan.
And here's the kicker: the "Miss Kyodai Office" was conveniently listed right on winner Miki Ichijo's X profile! With no Kyoto University student ever having heard of this "club," netizens quickly concluded it was a blatant case of self-promotion.
The "2024 Miss Kyoto University" debacle quickly went viral, drawing a flood of criticism online:
"This so-called 'Miss Kyodai contest' isn't even about whether a pageant should be held. It completely fails to meet the basic concept of a 'contest,' leaving everyone scratching their heads."
"Kyoto University already decided not to hold this Miss Kyodai contest, yet it was pushed through in such a clandestine manner, with an incredibly opaque process to pick a winner. Totally unacceptable."
It was also discovered that the winner had previously appeared on various social media channels, hinting at aspirations for an entertainment career. This only strengthened suspicions that the entire contest was a self-serving stunt to boost her own fame.
Kyoto University's PR department laid down the law: "To use the names 'Kyoto University' or 'Kyodai,' an application must be submitted to and approved by the university. According to our regulations, only school-sponsored events, students identifying their affiliation, or officially recognized student clubs are permitted to use these names. However, the 'Miss Kyodai Office' is not an officially recognized club, meaning they had absolutely no right to host a contest under the name 'Kyoto University.'"
It's safe to say this whole stunt didn't just fail to make her famous; it blew up in her face, leading to a massive online backlash. It just goes to show that if you want to get famous, you need to go through legitimate channels. Now, the university is even evaluating whether this violates school regulations, making the situation even more dire.
via： togetter